Alvaro Obregon

Alvaro Obregon (19 February 1880-17 July 1928) was President of Mexico from 1 December 1920 to 30 November 1924, succeeding Adolfo de la Huerta and preceding Plutarco Elias Calles.

Biography
Alvaro Obregon was born in Siquisiva, Sonora, Mexico in 1880. The son of a farm laborer, in 1912 he led a group of armed peasants to support President Francisco Madero in his struggle against General Adolfo de la Huerta. His military skills resulted in quick promotion in Venustiano Carranza's constitutional army. As its military leader he was responsible for the decisive defeat of Pancho Villa's troops in 1915. Alarmed by Carranza's attempt to circumvent the new constitution's stipulation that a president must not be re-elected by nominating a popular candidate, he overthrew Carranza and probably gave the order for his assassination. Elected President himself, he hesitated to institute land reform as promsied by the Mexican Revolution, fearing that this would entail a decline in production. His main contributions to the stability of the new political order were the coming to terms with the United States, which recognized the new state, the co-opting of moderate labor unions at the expense of anarchists and communists, and the peaceful transfer of power at the end of his presidency, which occurred for the first time since 1880. He won the 1928 elections, but was murdered by a religious fanatic, Jose de Leon Toral, before he could take office.